Home Daycare vs. Center
Many people ask which is better, home daycare (hdc) or centers. The truth is it depends on your needs as a family. There are pros and cons to both hdc and centers. Here are the pros and cons of homedaycares vs. centers.
HOME DAYCARE
Pros: The biggest pro of a hdc is that you know who will be caring for your child each day. In a home daycare, you have the stabilty of one or two people keeping your child. There is no staff turnover, there are no shifts. Your child will not have one caregiver in the morning, another in the afternoon, and still another next week, or even tomorrow. In a center, there is sure to be teacher turnover, and several caregivers per room each day.
Your child is exposed to children of different ages all in one setting in a hdc. They can learn from the older kids, and "help" with the younger kids by being gentle and sharing their toys. In a center your children are all grouped by age. This can be great in the older classes, where kids are ready for more structured activities and games. With babies and one year olds, however, we find that the kids really learn from each other, whether it be words, sign language, or sitting and crawling motions.
There are fewer children in hdc, and thus fewer germs. Your child is going to pick up pretty much everything he/she comes into contact with their first year of life, so fewer kids equals fewer germs equals fewer illnesses.
Meals. In a center, your child will be given his/her meals daily. We have one or two kids each year, however, who will not eat certain foods, or are incredibly picky eaters. Regardless of what is on the menu each day, those kids will eat something...we are willing to make something separate if necessary for those who dislike what is on the menu. That doesn't mean they will get a gourmet meal, but if peanut butter and jelly is all they will eat, we are not adverse to adding pb&j to their plate if they are not eating any of the other foods they are offered.
You can develop a lifelong friendship with your caregiver. Seeing the same person every day, you can develop a real relationship with your caregiver, and your caregiver will develop a true love for your child.
Cons: There are cons to home daycares as well. One of these is that because you are dealing with only one or two caregivers, the hours of home daycares are usually shorter than those in a center. If you are looking for 7 a.m.-6 p.m. care, you will probably be better off going with a center, where they have several caregivers in each room and are able to maintain longer hours. Some homedaycares make you find your own backup care for days they close due to illnesses. (We, knock on wood, haven't had to close due to provider illness in all the 12 years we have been open!) Many home daycares are closed for more holidays and vacations than a center. It truly depends on your family needs as to which is better for you.
